Set up of a monitoring system for a preliminary evaluation of the Urban Heat Island in the town of Palermo

Surface energy balance of urban areas depends on the thermal features of building materials, as well as the overall urban layout and various anthropogenic factors. In extended urban areas, all these factors give rise to the phenomenon known as Urban Heat Island (UHI). From the point of view of urban health, the occurring of UHI drastically changes the fluid dynamic interaction between the air and the city surface, often preventing the dispersion of gaseous pollutants. In the last years in fact, several studies have monitored the increasing trend of breathing diseases and allergies correlated with the presence of UHI. Nowadays, a rational design of the urban areas within large towns should take into account important factors such as energy requirements, consumption of natural resources, vehicular traffic and air pollution. The study and monitoring of UHI can supply very important data useful to address a correct urban planning policy. At this aim, the authors have created an automatic monitoring system able to acquire weather data in different points of the urban area of Palermo and compare them to the data recorded in a nearby rural area. This paper describes the system setup and the first analyses accomplished with the recorded data.